The Dining Room in Winchester

Very small selection and far to expensive for what you actually get.

Das Essen und der Service sind wirklich gut. Das Personal ist sehr freundlich und zuvorkommend. Leider ist der Teppichboden im Restaurant ziemlich fleckig und an den Polsterstühlen hängen teilweise Fäden raus und die Sitzflächen haben vereinzelt Flecken. Die Tischplatte fühlte sich klebrig an. Das könnte aber auch am Desinfektionsmittel liegen, mit dem diese abgewischt werden. Die Stühle im Außenbereich waren schmutzig. Insgesamt könnte man mit wenig Aufwand und etwas liebevollerer Pflege der Einrichtung mehr Eindruck schinden.

Food was OK, service good and surroundings pleasant, overall good value.

We visited the hotel for the restaurant and it was an incredible meal. The atmosphere was relaxed, which is notable considering they had a wedding at the venue as well as other large parties in the restaurant. The food itself was fantastic. Think the best home made meal you’ve ever had, and then you’re on the right lines. We opted for a mushroom risotto and ham hock terrine for starters, both of which were amazing. We had the Chicken tarragon pie and bbq pulled pork for our mains and they were outstanding. We left incredibly happy, and very satisfied bellies!

We really enjoyed this tasting menu. The lamb was cooked perfectly and the bisque excellent. The staff were attentive and friendly. We were asked about allergies when we booked and again when we were seated. We will certainly recommend and return again. Our only misgiving is that it was impossible to reach them by telephone. We were only able to book via email and I wonder how many bookings are being missed due to nobody answering the telephone. Thank you for a lovely evening.

Small portions and cold, vacant service staff is fine if the food is good. I think they must have changed the menu (almost certainly, looking at the pictures attached to others' reviews) as it bore no resemblance to the Premier Inn fare I just witnessed. We arrived, were seated, no pre-amble, no briefing, no tasting menu to skim over what the night entailed. We were then brought a series of utterly boring dishes by a waitress who whispered the title of the dish and retreated. I had to deduce that one of them was fish by taste, but otherwise had no idea what she had said, and thank god I didn't have an allergy as nobody asked and nobody told me what was in anything! The food was so infuriatingly dull. The highlight for me was the dollop of coconut ice cream dropped In a glass of sharp lime juice/prosecco. Both were tolerable on their own but bizarre together. Had a nice fried fish fillet, I guess? Dollops of puree seems indistinguishable between dishes and the aranchini starter tasted bland and stale. Utterly bemused that this could be offered as a tasting menu as it lacked any notable taste. I am grateful that thus was given as a gift and I actually spent nothing of my own money, though I feel guilty that anyone who loves me enough to give me this as a gift would be conned out of such a large sum of money. I'm angry on their behalf. Do better, or stop trying to present yourself as somewhere that serves actual food.

Possibly the worst we have ever experienced, No vegetables & nuts in a curry dish. Thank god we are not allergic

We ate at The dining room 2 years ago and revisited last night. The food was beautiful, however they have increased their price from £50 to £65 pp yet the size of portions has halved. We left feel hungry and ripped off. Won’t be revisiting, which is sad as we are local and the first visit we enjoyed it so much we recommended it to friends. Attached is a picture of our main course. I know it’s a taster menu but that’s a joke.

Excellent good, I had burger and dirty chips ( bacon cheese covered fries) from the bar menu will be eating here again

Food was great, really imaginative, superbly prepared and well presented. Waiting staff were very friendly, informed and professional. All 6 courses (plus the amuse bouche) were memorable, with the lamb, rhubarb and feta my favourite. My wife loved the Arabic twist on fish and chips as well as the duck 3-ways. The only negative was that the hotel itself looked a little jaded. The restaurant would benefit from a decorative refresh, as would the reception area and bar.

My daughter and I recently went to The Dining Room at Marwell for the 7 course tasting menu. I have visited the hotel previously and it could do with a bit of attention as it feels quite tired so I didn't hold out much hope for the restaurant. Well I take it all back as I have to say it is one of the best tasting menu's I have ever had the pleasure of consuming, not one course disappointed. You have to be a real foodie to appreciate the time, effort and detail of each course. The chef had clearly thought about the flavour and texture journey on the palate. The presentation was on point and the attentive, friendly service enriched the entire experience. We live close to Marwell and I did not realise we had such a hidden gem 💎 so close. If I was being super picky, I would say that the wine list was not up to par, and the lighting was a bit hit and miss (in the dark or in the bright light). This was soon forgotten as George and his team couldn't have been more attentive. Sometimes with tasting menu's the time between courses can be a bit too long, but the menu was perfectly timed, without feeling rushed. Definitely a treat night which I think we all deserve at the moment, the team followed strict Covid guidelines and it all felt very safe and extremely welcoming - thank you.

Loved the food, on the expensive side for a family of 5 when you buy drinks as well.

I have just had the pleasure of experiencing the perfect food journey. From the moment we entered the restaurant we were greeted with a warm welcome. I had booked in advance the tasting menu and wine flight. They were instantly aware of my request and given the correct menu. My first challenge was needing a make a change to one of the dishes and they did it without any hassle which, I assure you, is the sign harmony between a kitchen and its front of house! From then on each dish was served at a steady pace with the most exquisite wine pairing. Please checkout the photos (Sorry for the camera quality on my mum's phone!) but my highlights included the Spring Salad, the corn-fed chicken and the chocolate & banana sorbet. The wine pairings also need a mention as I sometimes find they just add wine as a moneymaker but I can give you 100% certainty that these wines were carefully selected and a couple of them were very special indeed. They truly enhanced the dishes and in particular the red wine with the chicken! I even highlighted a wine I noticed on there menu and they managed to include it within my wine flight without any hesitation. Finally I must mention Raz (I assume is the restaurant manager?). His charisma, charm and attention to detail is what every restaurant staff member should aim to achieve but rarely ever seen. The chefs also did a brilliant job creating excellent flavour combinations with all the food but without Raz to give it all a story, throughout our meal, it would not have been the perfect gastronomic experience.  Thank you to all the waiters and chefs who served us on the night, you are all amazing!

I'm amazed this place has 5 stars on Trip Advisor and claims to have two rosettes. Definitely not our experience and massively over-priced. The restaurant is part of the hotel, no problem there but the hotel is definitely a bit of a Travelodge vibe, you enter into the bar area where there was a 40th birthday party going on complete with "Call me Baby" coming out of the disco next door. The restaurant itself is a weirdly high ceilinged room with very little atmosphere, there was no background music which was needed to try and give it some ambience. Staff friendly but nowhere near enough of them. We weren't offered a choice of still or sparkling water but were given a wine list straight away without checking whether we were having wine. Nowhere on the menu are any soft drinks listed and the selection was disappointing being basic bar fare "We have all the Cokes". Menu was confusing, doing that thing that some places do now where they list the main ingredient and then underneath other ingredients but without giving an indication of how the items are put together. The descriptions were also incomplete. I ordered a side along with my main because the menu did not mention that the main came with potato already. An amuse bouche of a delicious fish cake arrived but my wife was eating vegetarian and so was a bit surprised to have fish put in front of her without being asked. Food eventually arrived, my terrine was nice but a totally paltry amount of brioche served with it. My wife's soup was tomato and roasted red pepper when she had ordered carrot and coriander from the menu. There was a lengthy delay between courses. For main I had the venison which was delicious but inconsequential in size. I was extremely hungry at the end of it. The "triple cooked chips" were frankly crap, more like day old roast potatoes than proper chips. We had finished our bottle of sparkling water before the main was served but weren't offered another and the staff had vanished before I had a chance to ask for one. It took ages to get the attention of staff and so the new bottle arrived only when I had finished my main so I spent the main course without a drink (I doubt this would have happened if I had been drinking wine). Dessert menu had one chocolate option which was listed with "Malibu" due to the menu issues I mentioned above it wasn't clear whether the malibu was optional (I'm not drinking at the moment and avoiding all alcohol), we tried to get the attention of somebody to ask but were ignored for ages so gave up and left, went via Tesco on the way home to grab dessert as I was still starving. In the end we went up to the counter to pay the bill as it was taking too long. The bill was wrong with my wife charged for an extra soup. In summary they are trying very hard to do "Fine dining" and the food, when it arrives, is great but the portions are pathetic, the menu confusing, the service slow and the basics all wrong.

My friend and I visited in December, we had previously been in the summer and had enjoyed it a lot. It’s a good location for me as its my side of winchester so don’t have to fight my way into the city. In the summer when we went we loved the waitress who looked after us very well and was spot on with my vegan and my friends gluten free dietary requirements. I think ultimately she made the visit for us. Our recent visit however was not that great at all, maybe because we were practically the only people in the restaurant but I would say mainly because the service was quite dower and un-charismatic. The food was good, well presented and my vegan main course was good, but it was only a shadow on the food that was served in the summer! When we enquired why it was so quiet? We were told that December wasn’t a busy time for them as the zoo was quiet and they have had a lot of staff changes. I am afraid to say that the dining room needs an injection of something to get it back on track as i left quite deflated.

Very good food, working hard to produce cordon bleu but not quite there yet. This is reflected in the price however so you get very good food at a good price.

The food here was exemplary and tasty. If you want to try fine dining, then this would be a great place to come. The restaurant staff were professional and very pleasant. I would recomend eating here.

I could not fault the food. Menu choices were wonderful, even providing a dedicated vegan menu for two of our party. the flavours and quality of food was the best I have eaten locally for ages, a credit to the chef. The Head waiter was extremely knowledgeable and helpful, helping to provide a wonderful all round service. My only complaint is the room is big and on this Friday night 18/10 only four tables occupied, the ambience was lacking for me. Added to the fact the room is cold, mostly because of the conservatory type building, it perhaps needs some soft furnishings to help this. We will however return because the food and value for money was excellent.

This was an excellent venue with stunning food and very welcoming staff. There was nothing to complain about so if you would like a relaxing evening with good food then give them a try.

We stayed here for a wedding last Saturday the 14th of sept. We arrived on the Friday and decided to eat in the restaurant. I don’t usually write reviews, but thought I would as it was a such a surprise!! My husband used to be a chef, so eating out is always tricky. But we had a fantastic meal the squash tart was amazing as was the duck egg. My husband said the venison was very good also. Probably won’t return as we live in Scarborough. But thanks

We stayed at the Marwell hotel, which was fine and adequate for our needs, and ate here in The Dining Room which was very good indeed. The quality of the food and service was excellent and such a surprise. Would certainly recommend.

We had a family meal for 5 this evening using the main menu and every course was expertly presented and tasted delicious. Service was impeccable too. The only room for improvement was the dining room with 2 large tables of breakfast equipment covered in white table cloths in an obvious way. This food deserves better surroundings - it wouldn’t take much. Thank you for a lovely meal!

Based on the ranking and reviews on Tripadvisor, my husband and I visited The Dining Room in May. We had the tasting menu & wine flight, so all in all a very pricey meal, £180 from memory. For that, I’d expect to be blown away by the quality. Overall it was good - the food was very good, the wines selected for each course were good (albeit slightly tight on measures!) and the staff were very friendly and helpful.

Got the bill and the waitress asked us to check it and found we’d been charged for a double instead of a single gin (double gin racking up to £12...) when we had definitely asked for a single as was on a work trip.

We visited Here since it’s got higher up in ranking in this site.

My wife and I stayed at the Marwell Hotel a few weeks ago, and are just getting round to writing our review of your lovely dining room now. We booked the hotel just to visit the zoo, and we certainly were not expecting such an incredible meal!

There are a lot of reviews raving about a waitress called Jess. I assume that's the name of the wonderful, funny, lovely person who served us on Friday, and if so she deserves all the praise she gets. Marwell Hotel, please double her salary at once. And then double it again.

A return visit to the Marwell Hotel ( a rather disappointing and dispiriting experience this time) and two futher visits to the Dining Room whilst there, which were certainly neither disappointing or dispiriting! Whilst not cheap, the food is an innovative and sparkling fusion of taste and presentation that leaves you feeling you have had a truly exceptional meal, true haute cuisine.

Everything from the squid ink tapioca crisp snack to the reimagined Jaffa cake dessert was superb, with the suggested wine pairings complementing the flavours perfectly. I think my favourite was the Celeriac and Gruyere starter, but the scallops with crab and chorizo fritter were superb, the roast cod with butternut squash puree simply perfect and the lamb just melt in the mouth… each flavour was excellent on its own but exploded in the mouth when combined.

This was our third visit to The Dining Room and as always we were extremely impressed with the quality of food and exceptional service. There's always a wide selection on the menu and each course is mouth-watering. We combine the visit with a hotel stay but have said it's well worth the long journey for the meal alone. Exceptional.

Food was, as other reviewers say, excellent. Had the 7 course tasting menu. Five stars is for the food. Was brilliant.

We ate in this restaurant recently and what a fabulous meal we had! The Staff on duty were professional and really switched on. Our meal was amazing, I had the chicken and my other half had the lamb. Both meals were presented like something out of Masterchef, they looked so pretty to look at I didn't want to spoil it by eating it! We were given some artisan bread to start with, before our Starter arrived. My Started was smoked fish with lime and beetroot, really unusual and nice and light to eat.We were also offered an Amuse Buche, which were three light crackers(one was made with squid ink, a first for me!)with different light toppings. Wonderful. We opted for two courses for a set price, so glad we did because we couldn't manage a sweet. would return again.

Chanced upon this place whilst looking for pub food near Winchester. What a lucky find! I can understand why customers might be skeptical, as this place is basically in Marwell Zoo! Interesting and varied tasting menu - lots of courses prepared with care and attention to detail - great variety of tastes and textures. Very well balanced and excellent value for money. However, for me where this place really has got it 100% right is the staff. Each and every member of the team was really professional, yet friendly and charming at the same time. Took the time to explain each course and also to chat to the guests. We had a good laugh with them too - somehow they have got the blend just right - (I must apologize for not being able to name any of them) - recommended for a visit - if you combine with a night at the hotel, it is a real bargain too!

We met with friends at the hotel to stay overnight and enjoy a meal together. We went for the tasting menu and were delighted that we did. The food was awesome and each course was a real treat. This is a chef who knows his stuff and has put together a really interesting menu full of delightful combinations and delicious courses.

Recently visited the restaurant for a family member’s birthday. The food was excellent, an experience you would expect from a top London restaurant. The menu was varied and the staff exceptional, especially Jess who looked after us. She was efficient, comical and most of all gave a complete overview of what each course contained.

Visited for date night a couple of nights ago and opted for the 7-course tasting menu- and it was amazing.

Had our date night there. Nice atmosphere, amazing food and good service. Compliments to Amy who served us and chef for the great food. Restaurant is perfect for family meals as well as couples.

A great showing by all accounts!

We visited for the first time. We had the 7 course tasting menu and it was incredibly good and I would rate it 5 star. Unfortunately the undoubted brilliance of the chef is let down by a 3 star surrounding and service.

Spend 2 nights at the hotel for a surprise birthday pressie from my husband which was ok, but it was worth staying they just for this restaurant which is outstanding!.

Went for lunch today. It was outstanding. Just stunning food. The lamb and beef roast were just awesome. Will definitely return. In fact booked for a family birthday lunch for 10 in 2 weeks Definitely recommend

I have just enjoyed one of the most pleasant and enjoyable eating experiences I've had in a very long time! What delightful and charming service and, my goodness, what a stunning meal - can't thank everyone at The Dining Room enough. I actually sent my thanks to the chef for the care and skill which must have gone into preparing such an exquisite set of courses - can't recommend highly enough!

What really stool out was the beautiful and delicious food...a truly marvelous surprise. Two of us had the tasting menu and wine flight to match, my son the a la carte. You felt like you were on an evolving journey, the food was visually creative, flavours and seasoning were well balanced and the dishes were chocker with well sourced ingredients, the crockery was tactile and well concidered... No stupid slabs that you would struggle to eat off. But then came the cheap cutlery and banqueting glasses... It was like they were waiting for next month to afford the next wave of improvements... Service was warm, knowledgeable about all 9 courses and the perfect kind of friendly (Jess).

The taster menue was simply amazing. The mix of flavours and textures with each course was fantastic. The waiting staff were attentive without being intrusive. Marvellous evening

All four of us loved each and every course. The food was extremely tasty, well presented with lots of creative flair. Part of the pudding was made inside a coffee pod. I’m not a vegetarian but choose veggie courses and was really impressed with the flavours.

Food was lovely and some of the best I've ever had. Service was great and could not fault it. Didn't feel rushed and they let you eat your meal at your pace. Wil definitely be coming back and recommending this to friends and family.

Every course, for both myself and my partner was absolutely faultless, presented with flare and tasted out of this world.

I can't enthuse enough about our evening. I find it very hard to eat out being a vegetarian with allergies, our waitress Jess was so very friendly and helpful. She really put me at ease.

Visited The Dining Room with my grandparents and thoroughly enjoyed our visit. The food was superb and service was excellent. Will definitely be visiting again soon!

Tried the taster menu with my boyfriend, was amazed by the variety of flavours that were on each small portion. Lovely atmosphere, very relaxing and the waiting staff were attentive, polite and so helpful. Would recommend it to anyone who wants a treat and wants to try beautifully cooked food.

My husband & I had the most amazing meal at The Dining Room, the food was outstanding in every way and the service was great. I couldn’t recommend this restaurant more and look forward to taking my family & friends there in the future.

A surprise 40th Birthday meal with a one off special 10-course taster menu served at the table by the Executive Chef! Memorable & perfect in every way.

We noticed, that the number one restaurant on the area (according to TripAdvisor) was in our hotel! We decided to try it out, and it was superb. Food was excellent, the service was nice and friendly and we really felt welcome. Also a great value for your money, the dinner could have easily been double the amount we paid. Nothing but an absolute recommendation for The Dining Room!

Amazing amazing food, accommodating to our dietary requirements (allergies) food and service exceeded expectations, decor was bland (no artwork) and all looked quite dated. Place could do with a big refit, however please ignore the setting the food is exceptional.

Such a lovely family run restaurant within a hotel. Best place to eat in the area by far! We went for the Sunday roast and the kid’s meal was complicated - super value.

I very rarely give five stars on TripAdvisor but this restaurant is a real gem. We were surprised to find such world class cuisine in an otherwise unremarkable hotel. The decor and service were average but the chef really impressed and I suspect they are destined for greater things. Excellent value and as good as meals we have had at Michelin star restaurants costing 5x more.

Was a lovely taster menu - with really nice and special dishes. Service was excellent would definitely recommend

My husband and I visited The Dining Room for the first time just before Christmas. We had a lovely night. Great service from the super friendly waitress and the food was fantastic. We chose the Tasting Menu with paired wines and were not disappointed. The scallop dish in particular was excellent. I would highly recommend.

Would highly recommend! I have eaten here a number of times and am always impressed with the service and food! I love the interesting presentations of the food aswell! It’s also nice that a lot of the produce used is locally sourced in Hampshire !

Visited yesterday for a belated Christmas lunch with family. We had some tricky dietary needs to cater for in our party and the team at The Dining Room were so accommodating and meticulous in their planning and catering for our needs, I really couldn’t fault them!

We had the tasting menu (5 main courses plus 2 amuse bouches and petit fours) and it was quite simply one of the best meals we've had anywhere in the world. Every course was perfection, with each of the many components of each dish working together to make a harmonious whole. The wine pairings were meticulously thought out to complement each of the ingredients and the service was friendly and very knowledgeable every step of the way. We had been worried when we stepped into the restaurant and saw the decor, which was reminiscent of a run-down Holiday Inn, with stained carpets and scuffed walls, but we soon forgot all about that once the dishes started coming out.

This is the third time we have been here and we have traveled an hour to get here as it is equidistant to meet a friend. Food was excellent as always and great value for money. Our server Jess was knowledgable and entertaining.

Truly excellent food and the service from Jess was excellent she was very informative about the menu to me and other customers.

First visit to the Dining Room at Marwell Hotel and my expectations were exceeded. Service was 5* our waitress was extremely professional and courteous, nothing was too much trouble. The menu provided excellent choices which were hard to choose from however the beetroot Amuse Busch was a sign of things to come, rabbit and duck starters were amazing, lamb and pork belly mains sublime, and deserts of Baileys cheesecake and blackberry pannacotta to die for. The presentation and taste Michelin star quality and yet the price was not! Will definitely return! A truly wonderful hidden little gem.

I chose to go to The Avenue for a birthday dinner on the basis of reviews here about the food, which did not disappoint. We each chose two courses from the set menu which were beautifully presented and delicious. The breads and amuse Boucher were particularly good. However the excellent food was for us sadly let down by the dining room itself which is cavernous with a high ceiling and totally lacking in any style or character. The tables weren’t laid with any cutlery, there were a lot of chairs stashed by a wall giving the place a function room feel, and the young girls providing service were pleasant but totally inexperienced. We brought a birthday cake in to serve as a dessert as the restaurant wasn’t able to make one to order, but the chocolate plaques with the message on got melted in the heat of kitchen and couldn’t be used, so another disappointment. The manager did try to compensate by offering us a round of drinks. So food great, but the venue and service very disappointing.

Visited with friends and went for the tasting menu. Such great service and lovely people serving delicious food in a lovely location. All served in a meticulous manner, with an informative description of each course. It is real fine dining and if you deserve a treat you need to go! There are multiple tasting menus catering to vegetarians the staff were very flexible and allowed us to make slight changes to the dishes if there was an ingredient we did not like.

Visited here on a first date. Jess was our waitress and she was a star, bright, bubbly, friendly, funny and helpful.

Food was really good. You can tell that the ingredients were fresh and carefully picked. As for the service, everyone was efficient and very accommodating. Another great restaurant to add to my list.

Great food and lovely service. Food was really good to be honest it was far better than we expected! Our waitress was friendly and fun but not over the top. Port main was lovely wonderful flavours and textures. Will come back!

Three people for dinner. We all agreed the food was superb. The staff were excellent throughout the hotel, special mention of Millie in the dining room and Dan in the bar. The food beats hands down many fine dining restaurants I have been to. Could all do with an update to the decor. Well worth a visit

Amazing food and service. Each course was on point and delicious. Served with a smile and attention to detail. Would definitely recommend and we will be back!

We were very impressed with the taste, presentation and cost of our meals at The Dining Room. We opted for Venison and the Beef Blade with extra side of mash. Delicious and Devine. The staff were so knowledgable about each element and ingredient of each dish, this made our experience more pleasurable than one would receive from your average restaurant. Worthy of their 2 Rosettes.

We visited a month ago as we were staying at the hotel. We booked into the restaurant on the first night and was unexpectedly surprised by the superb food.

Visited on a Sunday evening to celebrate our anniversary. Slightly concerned on arrival as there was a wedding in another part of the hotel but once we were in the restaurant we wouldn’t have known it was on. We went for the tasting menu which was amazing and very good value compared to many places. Having eaten at a number of Michelin starred restaurants I would say this place is right up there with the best. We will definitely return. If I have one criticism it would be the decor of the restaurant is rather tired and very much looks like a hotel dining room rather than a top end restaurant.

Went for our anniversary meal and had the taster menu. Wow, I can thoroughly recommend it. Every one of the dishes were amazing, both in taste and presentation. Thank you!

Simply the best meal I've ever had. Everything was amazing, I was sad when I finally finished my dessert. The perfect example of simple ingredients cooked in the best way possible, understated elegance and flamboyance on a plate.

Staying at the hotel I had the absolute delight of having dinner in the dining room twice. The meal was delicious 😋 The staff were excellent and so attentive, it was an excellent two evenings

We ordered the taster menu for my husband's birthday and it was really good, easily comparable to top Winchester restaurants.

Great hospitality, lovely relaxed atmosphere. Stunning food using high quality ingredients. Highly recommended to all.

We celebrated our wedding anniversary at Marwell Hotel and had an evening meal in the restaurant. What can I say?....really friendy attentive staff, quiet and relaxed atmosphere too. The food really was sensational, local produce with a twist...truly delicious! Would come again in a heartbeat.

Top notch fine dining at its best. Highly recommended...restaurant a little dated and don't put all tables next to each other. Lacks a little ambiance ..

My wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary at this restaurant early in August. Every course we had was served with care and a delight to eat - there was nothing we could find fault with. All the food was served very professionally by Jess whose knowledge of the dishes was excellent. We shall certainly return.

We stayed at this wonderful hotel before going on a cruise. The restaurant is a hidden gem, the food we had was absolutely beautiful, a standard so high we really didn't expect this. Stunning & delicious was the only way I can describe it. We were also given tasters in between our courses, they were beautiful! If you want a high class meal with fabulous service this is the place to go. We will definitely be going back if we are ever down that way again

Brilliant service and advise from a top maitre d. Very inspirational menu of outstanding quality. We had no idea it was this good when we booked to stay at the adjoining hotel.

Had the most amazing meal with exemplary service from Jess! I can honestly say it’s one of the best dining experiences I have had. Amazing food and Outstanding service from Jess! Thanks so much!

Visited The Dining Room with a group of friends for a special birthday meal.

Brought my husband for a birthday meal, and we decided on the taster menu so that we could try a variety of different things. The food was all incredible, all 7 courses plus petit fours with coffee at the end, everything was absolutely delicious. Our waitress (I think her name was Jess) was really lovely, very friendly and made us feel at home. They even brought out a birthday chocolate at the end for my husband.

We turned up very tired after a long motorcycle journey and were made to feel very welcome and incredibly well looked after. The food was amazing, excellent menu and very good value. The waiting staff where exceptionally good, in particular our waitress Jess who was fantastic, she really made the whole experience memorable!!

We celebrated our wedding anniversary with dinner at the Dining Room at Marwell Hotel.

We chose Marwell Hotel and restaurant as our 2nd wedding anniversary treat , and I’m so pleased we did !

3 day stay at Marwell Hotel in May for my hubby's birthday treat.

Highly highly recommend this restaurant

A fantastic meal, the food was excellent, and Jess our waitress was excellent, very helpful with menu choices. Would highly recommend.

So impressed with the food, super tasty & Jess our waitress was really lovely - could not recommend highly enough! Thank you for making our stay so special.

We have eaten in this restaurant when staying at the hotel many times and each time it gets even better. We’ve even had Christmas dinner at the dining room before!!

We can thoroughly recommend the taster menu - an absolute steal at £49/head. Each plate was near faultless - well thought out combinations of flavours and textures, with excellent presentation. Starting with probably the largest amuse bouche we have ever seen, we knew we had found somewhere a bit special, and the quality remained consistently high, right through to the plate of delectable petit fours at the end. We both agreed that the food compared very favourably with the Mitchelin Star restaurants we have visited before, but without the fuss and pretentiousness in the service. We were served by Jess and Lewis, and they were both fantastic and attentive. Jess, in particular, was very friendly, and seemed to be really good with the kids at other tables. We will be returning!

We were staying at the hotel and, after viewing the sample menu a go, decided to try the Dining Rooms , as the food looked very interesting. We were not disappointed and enjoyed a truly superb meal with some delicious, well thought out and very well presented food delivered promptly by our friendly and knowledgeable waiter.

We came here during the week a few times last year and it was superb. We've been here twice recently and on both occasions (Weekend service) had extremely poor service despite bills of £250 and £150. I ordered the veloute to start and after a wait had to hang about the kitchen door to ask for a soup spoon - so my starter was cold. The pudding was very iffy - the shortbread smelt of old cheese so I mentioned to the waitress they were inedible and possibly rancid. She returned to say the chef did notice the smell but they use very cheap margarine in the butter shortbread so that's probably the reason! Whilst with friends we had to remind them several times to bring the red wine - we actually finished the main course before the bottle arrived which is poor when I'd already spent £80 on warm champagne. Shoddy service, so will be loathe to return.

We came to the hotel for a family dinner, during the week. The waiters and waitresses were attentive and helpful at all times. Although we chose to eat from the A la Carte menu, there was the option to choose dishes from the bar menu too which was great for my daughter who doesn't always appreciate fine dining. Every effort was made to accommodate my dietary needs, although it should be noted here that we had previously let the restaurant know what I needed to avoid. I didn't feel that I had missed out at all and my food was presented in the same beautiful way as all the other dishes.

Was really not impressed with this restaurant and was surprised that the ratings are so high. Maybe we were just terribly unlucky. We visited for Easter Sunday lunch and preordered from the set menu. The food was pretty bad. I could not eat my main and the waiter didn’t even ask if anything was wrong with it when he took away a full plate. The others in the group had food that was average, no one being overly impressed. I must however compliment the dessert, the chocolate dessert I had with popcorn was excellent - well done. The restaurant atmosphere itself if very bland and not exciting. Service was also below average. Location however is great in marwell zoo and lots of parking.